The Freelance Informer

By treating flexible contractors as tax-avoidance risks, Westminster has created a compliance bottleneck that is choking Britain’s freelance economy. Today, UK independent professionals find themselves stuck between opposition deregulation…

A blunt 12-week rule meant to protect casual shift staff threatens to treat skilled contractors as permanent employees. Without clear exemptions, hiring firms will cancel three-month projects early, leading to offshoring knowledge work and…

If you work via an agency or umbrella company, check your payslip immediately. That’s the message from tax authority HMRC, which has issued an urgent warning to 700,000 flexible workers this week. They reason that just because Income…

Solo self-employed business owners, who are also limited liability company directors, mistakenly believe limited liability protects them from everyday business credit cards. Even industry founders operate under this false sense of…

CAREER TIPS Some freelancers are switched on when it comes to asking for referrals. That’s because they ask for them in the first place and at the right times. Here we explain when (and when not) to ask for a referral at different…

Companies House is moving all accounts to GOV.UK One Login. Learn how the new sign-in rollout impacts limited company contractors, agencies, and teams and what credentials you’ll need to sign in to the portal The next time you sign in…

Additional reporting by Santiago Steiner Days before The Hangover Part II was due in cinemas, a freelancer nearly stopped it cold. Remember that scene where actor Ed Helms' character wakes up after a wild night out with a tattoo on his…

If you are a contractor looking for work or a recruiter trying to place talent, the standard job market is stalling. New official figures show permanent hiring is drying up, and companies are terrified of taking on permanent staff. For…

TALKING POINTS Different year, different government, same recurring problem. Ministers are once again under pressure to fix bogus self-employment, but they continue to lump highly skilled, independent business owners into the same…

Whether you want an affordable home with a rapid commute or fresh contract work from the coming building boom, England’s new planning rules could make life easier for independent workers Have you ever spent two hours on a train just to…